The familiar voice on the other end was tainted with a less pleasant familiarity, a soft, dry whispering tone too much like those beset with the 'epidemic' that had defined the town for the past four months. Seishin had called him for help before, but he had usually sounded more... well, as if he had actually wanted the help. As if he cared about what had happened.
In the pause before there was any more information, he absently found that more human part of him on the verge of asking if this was one of those 'it's me, it's me' scam calls; if Seishin were now under their control, even if it was physically him, it'd be about the same as someone pretending to be him, wouldn't it?
But then the explanation came and it was... more detailed than the half heated resignations or transfer notices. He'd give it that.
"More than comfort?" His actual tone came through quickly enough, derision naked and nasal. "Are you asking me to treat her as a doctor?" He didn't give an opening long enough for an answer, driving on with an audible, dark sarcasm meant to hurt. "I thought you had some concerns about malpractice for how I handled Kyouko after she'd got caught up in it... You sure you want to trust me with anyone else?"
None of it was addressing the actual problem raised. But Ozaki Toshi was a man capable of at once spewing mindless vitriol and also processing an actual problem with the less emotional part of himself.
Megumi-chan; Shimizu Megumi, Shimo-Sotoba. Kaori... He couldn't place her, but probably a classmate. Dead parents. Missing brother. He could filter through the Shimo-Sotoba records and get familiar with the situation quickly enough. Even if it was a family that had started going to the Ebuchi Clinic, they were probably his patients before.
The information he was rifling through the filing cabinets for was as much for the sake of Whoeverwhoever Kaori as to see if this story held up, or if Seishin was luring him in now.
He'd just made such a fuss at the public office the day before. They were going to come for him. Maybe this was how. Countermeasures were in place, but it was always better to go into a situation overprepared rather than underprepared.
That was a lie he told himself, he realized. This was less about strategy and more wondering how trustworthy Seishin was.
And on a subconscious level, he probably realized it was less about trust and more wondering whether at this point he should consider Seishin alive or dead. If Seishin was not trustworthy, he was as good as dead. Despite their rift, he'd need a little more mental preparation for seeing him as dead rather than just perpetually estranged.
no subject
In the pause before there was any more information, he absently found that more human part of him on the verge of asking if this was one of those 'it's me, it's me' scam calls; if Seishin were now under their control, even if it was physically him, it'd be about the same as someone pretending to be him, wouldn't it?
But then the explanation came and it was... more detailed than the half heated resignations or transfer notices. He'd give it that.
"More than comfort?" His actual tone came through quickly enough, derision naked and nasal. "Are you asking me to treat her as a doctor?" He didn't give an opening long enough for an answer, driving on with an audible, dark sarcasm meant to hurt. "I thought you had some concerns about malpractice for how I handled Kyouko after she'd got caught up in it... You sure you want to trust me with anyone else?"
None of it was addressing the actual problem raised. But Ozaki Toshi was a man capable of at once spewing mindless vitriol and also processing an actual problem with the less emotional part of himself.
Megumi-chan; Shimizu Megumi, Shimo-Sotoba. Kaori... He couldn't place her, but probably a classmate. Dead parents. Missing brother. He could filter through the Shimo-Sotoba records and get familiar with the situation quickly enough. Even if it was a family that had started going to the Ebuchi Clinic, they were probably his patients before.
The information he was rifling through the filing cabinets for was as much for the sake of Whoeverwhoever Kaori as to see if this story held up, or if Seishin was luring him in now.
He'd just made such a fuss at the public office the day before. They were going to come for him. Maybe this was how. Countermeasures were in place, but it was always better to go into a situation overprepared rather than underprepared.
That was a lie he told himself, he realized. This was less about strategy and more wondering how trustworthy Seishin was.
And on a subconscious level, he probably realized it was less about trust and more wondering whether at this point he should consider Seishin alive or dead. If Seishin was not trustworthy, he was as good as dead. Despite their rift, he'd need a little more mental preparation for seeing him as dead rather than just perpetually estranged.